


Gleam

by 3minswriting



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Fluff without Plot, M/M, implied minbaek maybE, nuble era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22502146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3minswriting/pseuds/3minswriting
Summary: Dongho gets a gleam in his eye, a special one that can’t ever mean anything good is in his mind when it appears. Jonghyun’s learnt to recognise it over the years, sometimes try to curb the inevitable enthusiasm, sometimes to get swept up in its flow.
Relationships: Kang Dongho | Baekho/Kim Jonghyun | JR
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	Gleam

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trustmeallnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trustmeallnight/gifts).



> @trustmeallnight, i swear this one isn't going to make you cry lmao!

Dongho gets a gleam in his eye, a special one that can’t ever mean anything good is in his mind when it appears. Jonghyun’s learnt to recognise it over the years, sometimes try to curb the inevitable enthusiasm, sometimes to get swept up in its flow.

“Yah, Jonghyun-ah, let’s go this way.” Dongho tugs him along and there is that gleam, the one Jonghyun finds harder and harder to resist the more it is thrown his way. It’s so often too, now that their schedules have eased up and Dongho has finally _finally_ taken the ‘advice’ (read: command) that Minki gave him that he won’t get past his writer’s block if he doesn’t actually take the time to go out and do something fun once in a while. ‘ _You stay holed up in the studio for hours and hours, your songs are going to get as dark as that tiny room.’_ Minki’s words were echoed with agreement from both Jonghyun and Aron; it worried them more than they wanted to admit, because they all understood where it came from- they were up walking on the stars right now, with concerts full of heart light constellations swaying to the rhythm of their songs _Dongho’s songs_ and Jonghyun knew that out of all of them, Dongho was the most frightened of falling.

What Jonghyun hadn’t anticipated was how quickly Dongho would take this order to heart – he should have, because when did Dongho _not_ readily follow anything Choi Minki said? ( _but he knows the answer to that, and it’s when someone_ else _gave him the order, but that person isn’t here at the moment and Minki’s slipped in to securely wrap Dongho around his little finger while he can take advantage of it._ ) Now Dongho has been going out every night, finishing practice on time, only touching his laptop or iphone notepad when inspiration strikes him. Jonghyun knows this to be the case because most of the minutes that might have been spent alone in that tiny studio with the rare visit from Bumzu-hyung, Dongho has now started spending with Jonghyun.

And it’s nice, it’s really wonderful, Jonghyun loves it and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to-

-but _goddamn_ it’s tiring.

 _How did Minhyun survive all those years_? He finds himself wondering as he’s dragged around a sidestreet corner lined with restaurants and the odd clothing shop here and there. Overhead the streetlights are gleaming too, as if they too were lit with the same spark that glistened in the brown eyes that disappeared briefly, eclipsed by an even brighter light still when Dongho smiles at him.

“Where are you taking me, Dongho-yah?” It comes out as a grumble even though he returns the smile with one of his own, albeit smaller, more exhausted.

They’ve finished practice and he’d joined Dongho that morning for a horrific four hour workout already; but he’s learned that the other is tireless when he’s got that gleam. If Jonghyun has learned anything about himself in the last whirlwind year, it’s that if Dongho was ready to follow anything Minki said to make their maknae happy, then Jonghyun was equally _(worse_ ) in doing whatever it was that their vocalist asked of him. That’s why he’s here in the middle of the night out with Dongho instead of resting in the quiet of his own apartment with the TV on as background noise while he plays games. A quiet night would have been nice, Jonghyun thinks but-

“Secret!” Dongho insisted cheekily.

-he knows he made the right choice.

The _secret_ place Dongho leads him to isn’t anything special on the outside: a tiny ice cream shop crammed tightly between yet another Etude House and a packed noodle bar with steam wafting past the open doors, thick with the smell of salt and beer. Jonghyun scans the crowded tables first to see if one is empty, a little surprised that this is where Dongho wanted to go so he checks,

“Noodles?” He asks, only to receive a squeeze on his wrist.

“No, you know I can’t have those.”

“You can’t have ice cream either.” Jonghyun points out. He hates the responsible part of him that automatically parrots the words of their managers, something he’s had to do more since the usual person who would isn’t around. He hates it even more to see Dongho’s smile fade when those words slip out; he can’t take them back

“Mm.” Dongho agrees, gaze beginning to wander off to the street, unfocussed. The fingers wrapped around Jonghyun’s wrist loosen their grip.

“But we can still look, right?” Jonghyun catches the edges of Dongho’s fingertips just before they fall out of reach and joins their hands together.

“Yeah.”

The mood is significantly cooler as they shuffle over to the humble glass case and chalk smeared blackboard reading the flavours on offer for the day. Never one for sweets, Jonghyun doesn’t take much time in scanning the board or the pastel-coloured slabs of icecream on display. Instead he observes Dongho’s profile and wonders why the vocalist likes to torture himself like this. _You know you can’t eat any_ , the practical part of Jonghyun’s mind speaks words he won’t make the mistake of repeating aloud (again), _so why_? It isn’t rational and it frustrates him to see it – how hard Dongho works on a diet he doesn’t even _need_ to be on, only to make it even harder on himself _by choice_ in stopping at places like this to stare longingly at things he can’t have. It doesn’t make him happier, surely, so _why?_  
  
_Like you didn’t do the same thing for_ years. The voice that scoffs in his mind sounds a lot like Aron; his hyung had been known to say such things when it was just the two of them aside, taking a water break while Minki checked the practice recording, Dongho collapsed on Minhyun’s shoulder as the taller rested his head against the wall, the pair peacefully curled into each other.

Jonghyun smiles wryly at himself, adjusting the grip on the warm hand in his own. A warmth he’s only been allowed to enjoy recently after years of yearning. He still remembers when it used to be a treat.

“One scoop, please Auntie.” Jonghyun steps closer to the case, addressing the older lady behind the counter.

He ignores Dongho’s quiet huff of surprise and attempts to catch his eye, pointing instead at the vanilla and peanut combination when he’s asked for his choice and focussing on finding his wallet.

“Why’re you getting?” Dongho asks, reaching to grab his hand again.

“Ah, thank you.” Jonghyun keeps his hands intentionally full of first money and wallet, then takes the paper cup in both hands to cradle the frosted treat as he steps away from the counter back on to the street, slowly meandering in the general direction of where Dongho had parked. He’s careful to keep his eyes on the ice cream and not spill any of the fine powdered dust that crusts the vanilla surface. It’s made harder when Dongho paws at his elbow and whines,

“Jonghyun.”

“Hm? What?” Jonghyun fights back a grin and scoops a spoonful of what he knows is Dongho’s favourite flavour combination, the kind that reminds him of his childhood on Jeju, and eats a mouthful. It’s sweet but not too sweet- no wonder why Dongho had picked it.

“ _Jonghyun_.” Dongho hooks a hand around Jonghyun’s elbow to hang on him, pull him down and he almost loses his balance.

“Yah! Dongho I’m trying to eat! Careful.”

“Jerk.”

He knows Dongho doesn’t like to be teased and Jonghyun tries not to do it too often; they’ve all been under a lot of pressure lately and although Minki is their moodmaker, Jonghyun takes his responsibility over the happiness of each member seriously. But glancing to see Dongho’s bottom lip half-caught under his front teeth in a pout that really shouldn’t be so cute on a grown man- _well sometimes is fine,_ Jonghyun convinces himself, because tonight wasn’t only about Dongho letting off some steam and having fun, he wanted to have a little fun too.

It is only a five minute walk to the car but it passes quickly for Jonghyun and likely slowly for the tortured Dongho. Jonghyun has barely eaten any of the ice cream, only the smallest skims of the spoon really, savouring more the sulking expression the vocalist shoots him as he mutters on about how he found this place and Jonghyun doesn’t even _like_ vanilla.

“So why did you bring me then, hm?” Jonghyun asks, preparing another spoonful and twirling the plastic spoon between his fingers.

He knows why. Because it’s a treat: nights like this, schedule-free, having time alone together without fans monitoring their movements. Just them.

“You _know_ I wanted-,” Dongho chokes on the word as Jonghyun presses the spoon to his lips. Brown eyes widen in surprise. There’s hesitation; it hurts to know that its permission Dongho is seeking from him, a sheepish _can I_ , when really Jonghyun thinks he should just eat whatever he wants and be happy.

“I know you wanted.” Jonghyun agrees, smiling when Dongho obediently eats from the spoon. As quickly as it disappears is as fast as Dongho’s expression melts into pure joy.

He opens his mouth for another serve and grunts when Jonghyun instead shoves the cup at him, embarrassed even though it’s just the two of them. He wanted to see that smile return; it had, and now, “You can feed yourself.”

“But it’s better when you do.” Dongho insists, nudging at him to see if he can get his way and offers the cup back.

“Better when I do what?”

Dongho groans, annoyed, and it’s too cute that Jonghyun finds himself laughing again, which eventually makes the other laugh until they’re in a fit of giggles, amused eventually at nothing but each other’s contagious mood. Dongho finishes the icecream eagerly, offering to share even after Jonghyun says no, insisting he’s full – and he is, just seeing how happy something so small could make the vocalist.

“You sure you don’t want to crash at mine?” Dongho whispers in the dark hallway outside Jonghyun’s apartment.

“Tomorrow maybe.” Jonghyun knows what it means if he says ‘yes’ and he’s bone-tired, opposite to Dongho’s gleaming, hopeful eyes. And he is left again wondering how Minhyun had survived all those years at Dongho’s side, making him smile, pushing him to strive for his goals and propping him up when he felt down, be it over his performance or appearance – neither of which, Jonghyun felt, Dongho ever should have worried about.

 _Ah, it’s not ‘surviving’_ , Jonghyun realises as their noses bump together, his hands settling on the dip of Dongho’s slender curves while Dongho’s arms wrap around his shoulders, a heavy, comforting weight to ground him from floating away on the lightheaded joy as soft lips tasting of vanilla collide with his own, teasing out a pleased sigh too sweet that Jonghyun can’t resist stealing another kiss in this private moment, _this is living._

"You stay here tonight." Jonghyun offers when they part barely, the heat of their breath mingling with the heat in their eyes, and maybe he might be tired in the morning but he can't help it.

He'll blame it on the gleam, unaware that the same light is in his own gaze when Dongho kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> @3minswriting for twt aus and fic :'3 ty ily


End file.
